With final waves and wishes made, Kaiser wasted no time in shutting off the central control panel and ejecting the cables from the platform. Once that was done, he hurried over to another terminal sitting against the wall, a route that immediately drew the attention of the others. When he stopped directly in front of the towers, he then opened up a panel in the side of one of them and began typing into the computer pad. Code given, he then pressed the 'start' button and activated the countdown timer, which began from one hour mark and started counting down to zero.
Nodding at the successful unlocking of the device, Kaiser then shut the panel and turned to his friends. "The Clean-Slate Initiative has been activated. We just need to hold them off for an hour so that the Quantum Eigenstein Device can reach full power."
Smirking at the news, Zangya then brought her hands up and slammed a fist into her open palm. "That's more than enough time for us to get out there and let off ten years worth of built-up stress."
"Ugh. Here we go again." Her statement had Bulma roll her eyes and place a hand on her hip. "It's always fighting with you girls, day-in and day-out. Why can't you talk about something more interesting that we can all get into, like calculus, hair styles, or celebrities?"
"Hey, when you have a mad, killer robot out there destroying the world, assimilating everything in sight and reprogramming it so that it fits into his vision of a perfect society, let's see you try to go on a day without throwing a punch. But I'm sure you already know all about this," Videl exclaimed, pulling a couple of fingerless gloves from her pockets and slipping them on. As soon as they were yanked down tightly, she then turned to her fellow mother and beamed in her direction. "Zangya… it's been fun."
The Hera gazed fondly at her, "Likewise, babe." She then leaned towards the raven haired girl and gave her a chaste, tender kiss on the lips, which she gladly reciprocated.
Upon sharing that small gesture of affection, the group then moved in to discuss their next plan of action, until a second shockwave unexpectedly shook the area around them. The violent tremor causing them to stumble, the group stopped and set their eyes on the wall on the far side of the room. Loud metallic thuds and grinding echoing from the back, the group of mixed warriors of planet earth watched and waited with serious expressions in play as a low hum began reverberating off of the walls.
The noise growing louder and louder as the source of the disturbance drew ever closer, Trunks responded to the approaching danger by gripping the sword at his side and Kaiser drew his sidearm, which revealed to be a high-tech Luger pistol with a glowing blue discharger. As soon as the man cocked back the slider of his weapon and took aim, there was another violent tremor, followed by a clashing sound of thunder. This was shortly outdone by the entire far side of the wall shifting, as both it and the entire ceiling above them was ripped away like a lid on a can of sardines.
A flash of light soon blasted the room, temporarily blinding the group standing in the workspace. When their eyes eventually adjusted to the atmosphere, Trunks, Bulma, Videl, Zangya, and Kaiser looked up in shock to see the black sky of the outside world swirling above them, streaks of lightning crisscrossing the heavens, and the skeletal frame of the ruins of West City towering over them.
Debris and rubble falling around them as their hidden, underground base was quite literally brought to the surface, the group then looked up at the silhouette of the figure responsible for the demolition of their headquarters. Though at first unable to see him due to the spotlights beating down on their position, the team was soon given a full view of their enemy when he dropped from his altitude and landed on the ridgeline above them, several yards in front.
Over the last fifteen years, the enemy that they had come to identify as the greatest threat of their time had steadily transformed his body from a clunky, rigid science project, into a highly versatile killing machine equipped with the latest technology and software. The last time they encountered this particular foe prior to the great chaos at the 26th World Martial Arts Tournament, he'd modified his original body into a machine made ideally for large-scale war. But after that incident, his form had not only been heavily upgraded, but he'd also undergone a horrifying transformation. It was one that they'd come to familiarize over the past decade and in that time, destruction, ruin and enslavement spread across all four quadrants of the cosmos.
It was a form and face that they all detested, and one that brought a sneer from Videl as she lowered her body into a fighting stance.
"Majin Buu."
The entity that they were now facing was a figure that was a head taller than Piccolo, yet had a body that was far more imposing. Sleek and muscular, the person had incredibly smooth, silver skin that reflected the light, and was almost metallic in nature. Possessing eyes that were dark with red irises and black pupils, the man, entity or whatever you wanted to call it, had a chiseled facial structure similar to Cell's, including the same ear formations. But instead of having a pointy crown, the man had a tentacle protruding from his head that was long and went right down his back to his waist. On top of the muscular physique, the individual wore a pair of black arm bracelets with golden trim, golden boots with black shin guards similar to the arm gauntlets, and a white pair of pants held up by a black belt, which had the letter 'M' etched onto the front. The figure also wore a black vest with armored plates, and looked like it was welded to the skin.
Furthermore, his entire body had very strange veins running over it, which looked very much like circuit wiring on a microchip.
As soon as he heard the Z-fighter's shout and saw the group's enraged gazes fixated upon him, the tentacle-headed figure smirked.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't address me with that old moniker. It's insulting," the entity spoke in a deep, robotic voice that was laced with both a condescending tone and malice. When he watched the rest of the figures assume defensive stances, the metal abomination sneered and lifted his nose at them. "If it isn't too much trouble, I'd prefer it if you called me by my chosen name… Sentinel." He then shrugged at them when he saw their eyes narrow even more. "Or… maybe I would like to be called Majin Buu; the great terror of the universe. Either way, it doesn't matter to me."
"Oh, put a sock in it, banana-head," Zangya spat, focusing all of her ire on the smirking robot while sliding into a wider position. "Don't you get tired of listening to yourself talk?"
"You came here to kill us, right?" Trunks asked, holding his sword tightly in his grip. "Well, what are you waiting for? Give it your best shot!"
The silver entity, still smirking confidently, waved his hands in front of him and tilted his head at his targets. "Now, now, there's no need to rush. I just got here. Since it's been such a long time since any of us last ran into one another, I'd very much like to use this opportunity to catch up and swap a few stories of what happened over the last few years. Seriously, I've got some killer tales to tell." He then crossed his arms and chuckled. "Oh, did I mention that I now control a majority of the universe?"
"Pft. Like hell you do," Videl shot back at the twisted abomination, the latter of who raised an eyebrow at the human. "Not while we're still breathing and are able to do something about it!"
Eyes twinkling with mischief, the mutated android leered menacingly. "My, it seems the spirit of the old guard hasn't waned at all in my presence here. But I guess I should expect nothing less from one of the only remaining Z-fighters to survive their initial encounter with me." He then nodded down at the group when he also spotted Kaiser and Bulma. "And what do you know… my old parent and her rival in economics are still strutting about too." His attention quickly switched over to the blue haired scientist, whom he regarded with great interest. "How's dad?"
Reflecting nothing but malice in her own gaze, the woman glared at the metal prick. "You tell me, you gelatinized freak. You're the one who killed him!"
The android appeared shocked and placed a hand over his chest in emphasis of this fact, "Killed him? You think I killed-" Emitting a fake gasp, the metal warrior then grinned and gestured over to his right. "Why… your husband is right over here."
All of a sudden, the group's gazes turned to the rest of the ridgeline to suddenly see several more figures drop down from the sky and land in front of them. As soon as their forms straightened up and steadied under the series of spotlights, the team looked on in horror when they noticed not only Vegeta, dressed in his blue spandex uniform, white gloves and boots, standing next to the android, but Goku, Piccolo, a teenage Goten adorned in a blue gi with orange belt and wrist bands, and…
"Goren," Videl gasped, her hands covering her mouth when she recognized her eleven-year-old son standing alongside his uncle. Decked out in an orange and blue gi characteristic of the Son family, he not only had a flatter style of haircut to Goku's, but it was shorter and more combed, and he also had his name imprinted on the left breast of his gi. From her position, he looked just like what she remembered he looked like two years ago.
It was the sight of her son that not only brought a look of horror to the woman's face, but had everyone in that hole snarl in disgust.
Unlike the friends and family they'd come to know, Bulma and the others noticed that the figures standing on the crest were different to what they'd come to remember. Though all of them looked exactly like their old teammates, with the same expressions, build and outward appearances, their skin had taken on a darker, greyer, and metallic tone, which was especially noticeable on the bodies of the Saiyans. Their eyes had also inherited a reddish coloration, which glowed and pierced the darkness of the world they now lived in.
From the surviving Z-fighters' points of view, it was like they were facing down their worst nightmare. And it was…
The manic android with the tentacle-head leered at his quarry cowering in the open sewer before him. "All of your friends and family are still very much alive and well. I just made some…" He then waved his hand in circles in front of him, thinking up the right word to use. When it came to him, his grin widened, "Improvements…"
"You fucking monster!" Videl all but shrieked, glaring hatefully at the robot as tears streamed down her cheeks. "You robbed their graves and defiled their bodies!"
"You didn't improve them!" Trunks shouted with a growl in his voice, "You absorbed their corpses and transformed them into your own personal slaves!" This was accentuated when the serious expressions on the tyrant's captives darkened and their eyes flared red, showing how deeply ensnared they were by their leader's will. "That isn't life! That's living death!"
"There are no slaves here, little Trunks. Nor is there any kind of death," the android abomination exclaimed, uncrossing his arms fully and spreading them. As lightning struck the ground behind his position, the metallic entity not only looked the part of the villain, but he embodied the role in its entirety. It was a sight that would have spread terror through his audience were they not already blinded by rage. "There is only ME! In this world… in this universe, I am the law… I am the creator… and I am the one that decides the fate of all things." Sentinel's grin widened tenfold as his eyes burned with excitement. "In this world…"
"We… are… one," Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Goten and Goren spoke up in perfect yet haunting synchronization. "Together, we are…"
The android's eyes shimmered menacingly as his menacing grin widened, "Sentinel Buu."
While the rest of the Z-fighters stood around glaring up at the entourage before them, Kaiser, who was listening intently from the sidelines, groaned in annoyance and rolled his eyes.
"I can't stand listening to this shit."
Without warning, the man then raised his gun, pointed it at the creep above them, and fired a powerful blue blast from his pistol with a loud 'bang.'
The shot left the barrel at ridiculous speed and struck Sentinel in the head, taking it clean off and disintegrating it. Initially, the group inside the cavern thought the prick was done and that his presence was no more. However, unsurprisingly, the team then looked on as the mad deity's head reformed out of grey particles and come together in the form of a blob of fluid. This blob reformed above the rest of the still standing body, before taking the shape of the head that'd previously been shot off.
"You know… it's a damn shame I wasn't able to absorb Gohan or Sandra back when they were in their prime… those two would have been the defining pieces to my Saiyan collection. Oh well. I'm sure they're happy wherever they are, tumbling endlessly through oblivion." Groaning as his complexion solidified, the android smirked at his would-be assassin, who continued to glare up at him without a single tweak in his expression. "I don't understand why you lot are so uncomfortable with the idea of joining with me." Sentinel then raised a hand towards them in a gesture of 'good faith' and began appealing to the team's sense of reason. "You five are the last remaining free souls on this planet AND this entire quadrant. Everything that exists and contains some form of power in this world has been assimilated into my very being. There are no wars and there are no conflicts anywhere in the cosmos. There is only peace."
"No there isn't," Zangya retorted while watching the android lower his hand. "There is only the illusion of peace… one that you forced onto every single person across the cosmos."
"Even so, you cannot deny the results," Sentinel spoke, smile remaining as he then gestured across at the Z-fighters he'd recreated and were standing on his right flank. "Can't you see how happy your friends are?"
When the good guys turned to look over their former allies, they saw smiles appear on their faces before hearing each of them speak in turn.
"It's alright guys," Goku chirped in his familiar, cheerful tone, stepping forward and extending a hand towards them. "Honestly. Sentinel doesn't mean you any harm…"
"He only wishes to bring peace to the universe," Piccolo informed, arms still crossed as he stared down at the group. "It's true. We've seen it."
"Come join us and achieve greatness," Vegeta spoke, wearing his characteristic smirk despite the fact his eyes were glowing blood red. "Become one with Sentinel and you can have everything you ever wanted. Power… immortality… ultimate knowledge… love… you can have it all."
"There isn't anything to be afraid of, Trunks," the teenage Goten spoke, flicking a bang of his short, spiky hair out of the way to grin down at his best friend, who was still glaring revoltingly at him. "Come on. It's so much fun up here with everybody else. Really."
Goren, wearing an innocent smile that his father was best known for, also stepped further up the ridge and beamed at his mother. "I miss you, mum." He raised a hand to her as well and gestured for her to come up. "Please… stop this senseless fighting and join us." Arms widening, he then gave the impression of wanting a hug, one that had the raven haired woman grit her teeth painfully. "I want us all to be a family again… you and sister both."
At first not knowing what to say, the members of the Z-fighters held their ground and watched all of their friends extend their hands towards them in perfect sync. It was after exchanging nervous glances with one another and silently contemplating what to do, their silence was then broken by a growl from one of their own. Looking in the direction of said person, they saw Videl had both her fists clenched and, with tears streaming down her cheeks, barked up at the android and his army of zombified, android slaves.
"There's no way in hell we're ever joining you!" Videl roared, taking several more steps forward and showing just how serious she actually was. "You're just a crazy, hypocritical scumbag! This world, the lives you've stolen and the lives you control, they're all just one, big, fucking lie! Everything you do and say is a lie!" She then jabbed a fist at him. "If you think we're going to shake hands with you and become your slaves, then you've got another thing coming to you! Do you hear me?!"
Blinking in surprise at the woman's hearty rebuffing of his offer, the android stood there staring down at her and the rest of her colleagues, who seemed to regain their courage and set into proper fighting stances once again.
After a moment of silent contemplation, Sentinel brought a hand to his face and ran his palm down it in an exhausted manner. He then sighed in disappointment, "Ugh… I hate it when negotiations go sour."Without even the slightest bit of hesitation, the android suddenly pointed a hand down at the group and unleashed a powerful red blast from his hand, which rocketed towards them like a comet and threatened to incinerate them in one go.
But just as the group reacted defensively to the approaching energy attack, a shadow suddenly landed in front of them and blocked the blast. At least… that's what it looked like.
In a stunning turn of events that Sentinel did not expect, as indicated by the stunned expression on his and his slaves' faces, he saw his red energy wave shrink down and get sucked into the person that'd jumped in front of it. The area remained bathed in a bright red light for several seconds, until it vanished completely and revealed the culprit responsible for the unexpected dispelling of the attack.
Standing at the defense of the surprised group of surviving Z-fighter, an incredibly tall man with sharp blue eyes, a pointed nose and chin, long black hair that grew down past his shoulders, could be seen kneeling in front of the group with his hands extended towards the sky. Wearing navy-blue boots, tight blue jeans held up by brown suspenders resembling bandoleers, a tight, navy-blue shirt outlining a toned, muscular body with holes cut into the shoulder areas, golden arm bands, fingerless blue gloves, an orange scarf and golden earrings, the newcomer cut an imposing, and surprisingly familiar image.
The palms on his hands also had pink nodes inserted into them, very similar to the ones Android 19 and Android 20 had, which he'd obviously used to absorb the blast's power. What's more, engraved in his belt, he had the letter 'Z' imprinted for all to see, a symbol that was very distinct and recognizable.
When he rose up from the ground where he'd taken that blast, the stranger showed his face to the maniacal conqueror above.
The sight of the figure had Bulma and the others react in delight.
"Seventeen! You're here," Trunks exclaimed, feeling relief wash over him as one of their most trusted allies had finally returned.
Sparing a glance at his friends, the raven haired former antagonist beamed. "Sup guys." He then turned his glare towards the cliff, where his eyes then narrowed on the collection of fighters before him. "Sorry I'm late. I got a little caught up over in the Andromeda system dealing with this prick's armies. The number of factories he's got is insane."
Kaiser chuckled as he felt relief wash through him as well. "As long as you're here to help us, then I'm not complaining."
Recognizing the man's face purely from memory, Sentinel then allowed his stunned expression to transform into one of amusement. Straightening up to appear more dignified, the metal man greeted the newcomer cheerfully. "Ah… Android 17… I wasn't expecting you to show up here. I guess I was a little too preoccupied with looking for the vermin hiding out on this rock to pay any attention to you." He then placed his hands on his hips and looked down at his fellow android with a grin. "How's sis doing? Is she still around?" Upon speaking that question and seeing the glare thrown back at him, the mutant android snapped his fingers and exclaimed in surprise. "Oh, wait. How could I forget? I absorbed her and her family a long time ago. Silly me." After shaking his head, the silver figure then beamed at the raven haired hero. "After taking in over one trillion souls into your body, you kind of lose track of those who are really closest to you. Anyway… how are you doing these days, brother? Still fighting the good fight?"
Super 17, tensing up at the mention of his sister, sneered at the abomination. "Don't call me brother, you silver-plated freak. You and I are in no way related."
"On the contrary… the two of us were created by the same master, and were struck from the same mold in the same room. The only difference between us is that we were born out of different mediums, which really does make us siblings in a sick and twisted kind of way," Sentinel chirped, folding his arms as he looked the tall figure up and down. After getting a good bead on his makeup and drastically changed appearance, the silver God then exhaled a dark chuckle. "But it seems as though fate has put us on opposing paths. I noticed you've also made some improvements to yourself over the last several years." He then gestured to the man curiously. "Tell me… is your juiced up state a result of you fusing bodies with that bumbling Mark II, Android 16 counterpart Bulma created after my inception?"
The raven haired automaton nodded with a proud smirk. "Yeah. Thanks to her and Kaiser, I was able to join forces with my brother to become strong enough to fight you and your infinite army of mechanized slaves." Clenching his fists, Seventeen then slid into a stance and faced the terrifying looking creature head-on. "It was a tedious procedure, but it was worth the wait. Now that I'm here, I'm going to put a stop to your madness and take revenge on you for killing my family and destroying this planet!"
Hearing the man's declarations loud and clear had the smug looking villain tilt his head inquisitively. "An admirable objective. But I doubt you'll be able to accomplish much, even with this remarkable new form that you've achieved." The man then raised his head arrogantly. "Unlike you, I've long surpassed my limitations as a machine and transcended into the realm of the divine. My war with the Gods has spread to every corner of the cosmos and my sphere of influence continues to grow with every system I assimilate with my armies. I've already absorbed Beerus the Destroyer and Aphrodite the Compassionate into my consciousness… using their powers to fuel my factories. It won't be long now before the rest of their kin submit to my will."
At this, the black haired hero grinned. "That's quite the impressive record you've got there… even though most of your strength was achieved through petty theft and kidnapping. Care to put them to the test?" He then waved for the delusional warrior to 'bring it on.'
Sentinel chuckled at the man's declaration. "Do you really think you can do it? Alright then. Enlighten me." Gesturing for his soldiers to back-off, which they did, the cyborg suddenly super-sped down to the Z-fighter's level and landed on the other side of the room. Upon reappearing, the android cracked his neck and began to march forward. "It's been a while since I've had a decent, one-on-one competition with a warrior of equal speed and skill. I could use the challenge. Let's see how strong this new Android 17 has become." As he marched across the open space towards the group of heroes arranged in front of him, the silver warrior was all riled up for a good battle. But just as he was walking in their direction, he suddenly stopped when he sensed something was off and looked across at them in surprise. "Wait a second…" Sensors beeping audibly, his eyes then panned around the room in confusion. "I'm sensing an enormous build-up of energy. What is that?"
Before anymore questions could be asked, Kaiser, rushing over to the central panel, suddenly slammed a hand down on a large red button and activated another machine. The engines underground roaring to life, a series of loud clangs filled the air followed by a violent tremor. The anomaly causing Sentinel to back off a few steps, the android then proceeded to watch the floor in the center of the former, underground base open up, and the panels separate to reveal a hidden storage area.
An icy mist filtering out of the hole, a burst of pure green energy suddenly exploded out of the hole and rocketed into the air like a fire, alarming the enemy force and causing their leader to shield his eyes. The green aura blasting the sky for several moments in the form of a celestial pillar of light, it soon died down, leaving a cloud of ice hanging in the air around the breach in the floor. When Sentinel and the Z-fighters peered through the mist shrouding the area, they suddenly heard a low grunting noise and saw the silhouette of a massive figure rise up from the hole.
Metal clanging loudly as the steel chains and melted ice sticking to his body fell to the floor, the enormous entity that appeared stood before the two opposing sides, and turned his piercing gaze towards the silver android. As the smoke slowly lifted from the space, everyone in the area saw a massive man about the same size as the Hulk, with bulging muscles, spiky green hair that stood on end, wearing golden arm bands, boots, a necklace, a belt with gems welded into them, white pants, and a red cowl around his waist, rose before the automaton and fixed a hateful gaze upon him.
The sight of the man's white eyes and fearsome expression put a look of bewilderment on Sentinel's face. Then, when the giant narrowed said eyes and gave a low, animalistic snarl, the android's arms dropped and he looked at the figure in disbelief.
"Oh… fuck me dead…"
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